[Drake] 2B with bent tuning shaft

[dave.varner at charter.net]

After bringing a nice looking 2B back to life, the drive spindle string broke. Drat. I believe I have the new string installed correctly but the pointer hesitates in places as I tune across the dial. I discovered that the tuning shaft is slightly bent. Garey thinks it was dropped on the tuning knob at some time. I cannot locate any of the previous owners to confirm. It appears that as the bend in the shaft approaches the drum, that is where I notice the hesitation of the pointer. Maybe the tension on the string decreases at this point and then increases at the shaft rotates and the bend moves away from the drum. Also the string moves clear across the shaft as you tune from one end to the other. This actually causes the string to leave the drum at an angle of about 20 degrees and as a result the string rubs against the edge of the drum where it takes off. I would guess this would cause undue wear to the string. Has anyone run into this problem. Has anyone successfully straightened a tuning shaft. Thanks for any and all advice.